Best Richie Benaud voice: Hello and welcome back to cricket …

Some people are open books, others a riddle inside a conniption. Australia’s Test captain in Sri Lanka is more latter than former, but bit by bit he offers us clues to what’s going on inside that restless head.

When Steve Smith put his hand up to open at the back end of the 2023-24 summer it was mostly because that’s what his team needed and partially because it was a challenge he was up for.

He wanted to get out of his comfort zone then and that’s exactly where his side finds itself in series like these. He wants to get his hands dirty, he is excited by the prospect of turning decks and foreign situations.

The strategies and subtleties of cricket in conditions like the Australians are expecting in the second Test energise Smith. It’s game theory within the, well, game. With bat in hand, he is always adjusting, shifting, experimenting and attempting to solve problems in his own space. When wearing the skipper’s jacket he gets to do the same when the opposition bats.

The acting captain seems nourished by the opportunity to make interdependent decisions about the bowling, the field placements, the weather, the state of the pitch and all the variables that influence a Test match.

His ever-changing field placements in the first Test added a whole other level of interest to the game.

“I love captaining in these conditions,” he said on Wednesday. “I think I understand the game well, the angles that need to be created and, you know, just moving the chess pieces around the board.

“I enjoy playing in this part of the world. You know, I love the intricacies of the game and how it needs to be played. It’s always good fun. Hopefully, (it will be) another fun week this week.”